Six Years, Ten Months
by KinkerBelle
Summary: Jack/Ianto. An unexpected visitor drops in to Torchwood, quite literally I assure you.
1. Chapter 1

Notes: Post "Adam", thus not having to deal with the effects of "Reset". Rated PG-13 at most. Light angst, mostly humor and a touch of fluff. This is my first Torchwood fanfic. Please remember that. Reviews would be lovely in every way. Also, it'll be up at my LJ soon, any community reccomendations for posting would be fabulous. 3! And now, onto the Fic...

Sorry, PS: Special Thanks to Taynna who actually pointed out that in the first draft when it was originally May, that would make it 7 years, 2 months. _**facepalm**_. So… I don't actually check my math, sorry. I was like 'no way I'm changing the name of the story' but then I realized that I could change the month cuz _**sarcasm**_ I'm clearly a genius. Thanks again for the catch!

* * *

**Alarming**

Jack leaned his elbows against the cold metal railing, inhaling deeply the smell of the water before him. Behind him, Torchwood and the false tourist office protecting it remained still and quiet.

A sleepless, pointedly lonely night had made the team leader long to move about a bit. Wanting to take a nice long walk, but knowing that the Hub was, as a rule, not to be left unattended was what had spurred his mini-field trip. Not nearly as far as he'd have liked to stretch his legs, but the salty air was still refreshing.

The sky was his favorite sort of dull periwinkle blue of not-quite sunrise. Ianto had a tie of exactly that shade and it always roused a smile from Jack to see it. Looking out across the water, Jack tapped his booted feet against the pavement. He was restless. Without a hearty night's activities to wear him out, he could never seem to a get a healthy night's sleep. Like permanent jet lag… time lag really. Countless years on Earth and he still couldn't get a hang of the sleep schedule, it's not as though sleep was exactly popular in the 51st century. One of those little millennium dependent quirks he adored and remained utterly confused by. Ah well.

Gulls cawed overhead and they drew Jack's attention. Something about that sound irritated him. It was so hungry, so relentless. Jack closed his eyes and took a deep breathe, wishing for Ianto by his side. One of the things he treasured about the Welshman was his ability to keep Jack focused; be it on the cut of his trousers or the task at hand. He always had an easier time of concentrating with Ianto about.

Strange, because most of his other companions over the years had done the exact opposite for him. Jack smiled into the light breeze wafting across the water. But no, that's precisely why he'd come back for him. For him. To see why this strange and new (so bizarrely new to Jack even after all his travels) feeling crawling inside him was so irrevocably tied to Ianto Jones. Jack took one final breathe inward and turned about to walk back to the office.

His head felt lighter, clearer, but his bones were just a tiny bit heavier. It had been a long night, and a certain something about his restless feet, and the unsettling caw of gulls in the bay told him that the day ahead would be just as long.

Jack unlocked the tourist's office's door and was careful to lock it back up after he came inside. There was, after all, no use in worrying Ianto when he came in a few hours later. Jack realized he was smiling again when he pressed the lift button. A few hours, that was all there was left to wait until he could concentrate again.

"Good morning, sir." Ianto said, half a smirk on his face as he handed Jack his morning cup of coffee.

Jack smiled in return, letting his eyes flicker up and down Ianto fondly. He was wearing the red shirt today. Jack loved that shirt. "There's no one else here, 'Yan. You can call me--"

"We're still in the office… sir."

Jack pursed his lips in a valiant effort not to laugh and took a sip of his perfect coffee. He hummed in appreciation. "Excellent as always, Mr. Jones."

"I pride myself on service." Ianto said, blue eyes shimmering. Jack raised an eyebrow and let the joke he normally would have made go unsaid.

Ianto smiled that half-grin of his again and turned about to head back towards the kitchen, expecting Tosh and Gwen within the next half hour. Never off in his estimation, Ianto smiled softly to himself as Tosh and Gwen strolled in within minutes of each other.

Tosh arrived first, sending Ianto a truly warm smile as she breezed by. He remembered that she'd had quite a work load last night that she'd left unfinished. Ianto understood her desire to make a smooth transition back into work and so respected her unspoken wish to dive right back in once she arrived back after a few hours sleep. Her tea (Irish breakfast blend, splash and a half of milk, half a sugar pack) was waiting for her at her work station. In the form of a fond glance over her shoulder and a worn smile, Tosh thanked Ianto silently.

Gwen was always more chatty, regardless of whatever work she'd left behind the night previous. She bounced in, all smiles, and took her black coffee and cream from Ianto with her typical fountain of verbal praise.

Ianto smiled and went to sort through the latest stack of forms as yet un-submitted to the master archives at Torchwood Five. Owen wouldn't be in for at least another hour. The doctor had made a few remarks about hitting the pub last night and Owen was just unprofessional enough to let it really impact his working hours. Always had been.

Ianto strolled up to Jack's office, taking the few moments it took to get there as an excuse to take the Captain in. There were certain aspects to Jack that never failed to make Ianto stop and stare. The stretch of his blue button down over his strong shoulders. Not wide, really. Not formidable or eye catching. Jack was not overly burdened with muscle. He was more… cat like. Sleek, coiled with unspoken power. Ianto smiled slightly to himself. There was no use growing poetic about his lover, he knew that.

Poetry and candlelight never did anyone any good. In terms of professionalism and propriety, well, they were pretty much rubbish. Ianto felt that if something wasn't of much good to him in the office, it had no place there. Besides, poetry should be reserved for mutual affection, and in a distant and vaguely painful way Ianto knew that Jack's feelings for him were still… somewhat ambiguous.

That's not to say he didn't believe his Captain cared for him. There were many times when Ianto was willing to bet that Jack's feelings quite ran deep. But there was still a certain flash in his eyes when he looked at Gwen… at other men and woman on the street even, that Ianto fought not to notice or take too seriously. It left him feeling unstable, shaken. And that was certainly of no use, this funny welling up of emotion inside whenever he reminded himself of how unsure Jack looked sometimes. Nothing about his boss's behavior was particularly indicative of… of a serious attachment.

However, there was that other look Jack got not uncommonly. That starved glitter in his eye when he had all the time in the world to focus on Ianto. When he was whispering that he wouldn't change his decision for the world… or that he came back for him. Altogether, the signals were too crossed hatched and fuzzy to make a definite picture… especially of anything resembling love. No need for flowers and hearts, candies or poetry. Something about Jack just brought it out in him, though. Something about the dip of his rib cage to his hips and the flash of his pearly white eclipse of a smile. Ianto shook his head, wishing not for the first time that he could just be more certain about Jack.

It was a pity that he couldn't just believe Jack the way he wanted to, it really was. After Lisa's death, when the initial pain had subsided and when he had started dreaming of eyes that weren't hers and lips and hands that weren't hers either, Ianto had come to the conclusion that he wore love quite well. A strange conclusion, to be sure. But Ianto was rarely wrong about these sorts of things, and that was something he trusted. No, love suited him exceptionally. Focus and drive and, at times, strangely effective bouts of madness took up shop within him when he was in love. He was more useful, more devoted to any cause, and even perhaps more dependable when he was in love. Quite a transformation.

He wanted to be that man again. He wanted to be that man because of Jack. If only… if only he could be certain about the way Jack felt for him. He looked to the Captain again, and walked fully into the room.

Jack's eyes were drawn to the motion at the door and he smiled. Ianto had that sticky eyed look about him that spoke of having just been staring. Jack chuckled a little bit and smiled at his lover. Ianto knew he was caught.

This both bothered him and didn't. He'd been caught before, and had no doubt he'd be caught again, just as Jack had been caught and would be caught many more times. That was a comfort.

"Been staring long?"

"No, sir. Just observing."

"Anything of interest?"

"During my observation? Oh, yes, a great many things."

Jack bit his bottom lip. The bastard. That was not a fair act to commit in a work environment when it would be most inappropriate to rip off Jack's entire outfit.

"Fair to say you're liking what you're seeing then…" Jack murmured, casting playful eyes down at his desk full of work he suddenly had no interest in. Ianto smiled despite himself.

"Fair to say."

"Well… that's good."

Unexpectedly, the rift alarm suddenly went completely berserk. Normally, it would just emit a startling warning tone at timed intervals. Why it was suddenly going off at accelerated speed and flashing the lights of the Hub along with it, no one could have really said.

"That's not." Ianto said pointedly.

Owen picked that moment to walk in and glance worriedly about. "What's all this then?" he shouted above the din, rushing to his computer and bringing up the rift alarm history.

"No idea, it's only just started with this!" Tosh yelled back over the constant and somewhat frightening racket. Gwen hurried over to hover at Tosh's shoulder while Ianto and Jack raced over to stand beside them. The pterodactyl screeched uneasily which served to further unnerve the whole team.

Tosh quickly ran several searches of potentially harmful rift activity, coming up blank. Everyone frowned deeply in confusion.

"That's just impossible!" Owen shouted crossly, gesturing angrily at the screen and lifting his hands to his ears. The noise was bloody unbearable. "The damn thing's never wrong, we know there bloody well must be rift activity!"

Jack gripped the edge of the desk and leaned closer. "Scan it again." He commanded loudly, ignoring Owen's very skilled statement of the obvious.

Tosh nodded, typing in a detailed computer code and waiting breathlessly for it to carry through. The relentless blaring and honking of the rift alarm was really wearing on the Torchwood team. From beneath them, they could hear the rattling of caged aliens even over the monstrous din of the rift alarm. The sweep came up clean again.

"I don't understand." Gwen yelled, looking bemused and determined at the same time. Ianto may or may not have envied how cute she could be when she did that. Jack for his part seemed focused on the task at hand though, a gift of his in high pressure situations.

"No… no. Scan closer, Tosh. Scan the Hub itself."

Tosh raised an eyebrow at her new marching orders but did as she was told. The sweep went out again, searching the two mile radius around their structure alone. A tiny blip above the station showed itself. "That's… that's right above our heads."

"It's not much, why's the damn alarm gone nutters for such a tiny disturbance? Doesn't make sense."

"Tiny, yes, but concentrated." Ianto put in.

Jack nodded. "A whole shift in a compact area. It wouldn't show up on the city wide scan but it might make the rift alarm…"

"Go bat-shit?" Owen offered, walking away and still clutching his head.

"It makes sense." Jack said, sighing and rubbing at his temples. Ianto didn't blame him. The noise was quite awful. As suddenly as it had began, the unbearable maelstrom of sound ceased completely.

A bright red light flashed above Ianto's head and before he had any right idea what was happening he was knocked off his feet and to the floor. Tosh and Gwen screeched in surprise. Ianto groaned. On top of him, the instrument of his sudden plummet to the ground groaned as well. It actually rolled about and dug something sharp and suspiciously elbow like into his stomach.

"What the…" Ianto craned his neck up, prying open his eyes (which had fallen shut on impact) and frowning at the sight before him. The surprise he felt was not so much due to the fact that a person had fallen on him from thin air, though that was indeed a part of it. It was more to due to that person's remarkable resemblance to him. Identical, actually.

His doppelganger swore fiercely in welsh and squirmed in pain. The twin Ianto then slowly pulled away and gingerly straightened his suit, a dashing coal black with a fabulous cut, purple button down underneath and a black tie with a vertical purple line down the middle that matched the shirt perfectly. He brushed the jacket off and Ianto caught himself doing the same as he rose to his knees.

The click of four safeties coming off four guns brought both Ianto's attention away from each other. "Who the hell are you?" Gwen said warily.

The Ianto in purple stared her, raising his hands cautiously to show he was unarmed, something glittered in the light. He cast a concerned look at the whole group. "It might be more prudent to ask when the hell am I."

"When did you come from?" Jack asked harshly.

"21st of July, 2015."

"Seven years in the future?"

"Is today 21st July 2008?" Purple Ianto asked.

"21st September, 2008." Red Ianto answered.

"Then six years, ten months to be exact."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I've been cracked up on Janto fanvids for the last five days straight. They keep making me write fanfic!! As always, reviews are lovely. Thanks toe veryone who has given them so far!

Previously on Six years, Ten Months...

_"When did you come from?" Jack asked harshly. _

_"21st of July, 2015." _

_"Seven years in the future?" _

_"Is today 21st July 2008?" Purple Ianto asked. _

_"21st May, 2008." Red Ianto answered. _

_"Then six years, ten months to be exact."_

* * *

**__**

**_In Time_**

Jack fought the grin twitching on his face. "Well you look like Ianto, and you sound like him. Prove you are him."

Ianto frowned and tilted his head at Jack. "I really must be six years back. Er, I suppose… should I say something personal about you all?"

"Well presumably something only I… we… us… Ianto Jones would know." Red Ianto offered, rising from his kneeling position of the floor and dusting off his knees.

"Right then. Owen, you're a closet Madonna fan."

"Shoot him now, he's lying." Owen said testily, cocking his gun in Ianto's direction. Jack bust out laughing.

"Strangely I believe him, and even if he's lying it's highly entertaining."

"That's what you were singing the other day!" Tosh said, smiling triumphantly and turning to stare at Owen. "I knew I'd heard it before. Like a Virgin!"

Gwen lowered her gun because she'd started to laugh so hard she'd begun to cry. Jack chuckled heavily and Owen glared furiously at the Ianto in purple. Once Gwen had calmed herself and righted the position of her gun Jack re-focused his attention on the kneeling Ianto. "Continue." He said shortly.

Both Iantos smiled broadly. The one still on his knees nodded, and continued. "Gwen, you hate raspberries, except in ice cream and then, only when from that stand around the corner from your flat."

Gwen smiled softly and nodded, relaxing her stance. "It's true."

"Of course it is. Tosh, you own every Billy Idol album he ever released, and six he didn't. That's the only music you keep at your flat that isn't classical."

Tosh nodded to Jack. "True again."

"And Jack…" Purple Ianto said, casting sultry, yet still controlled eyes up and down the Captain. "Besides having an uncanny way with measuring tapes, there is the matter of a cluster of ten freckles on your lower back."

"The ones that look like a cat." Red Ianto said nodding.

"A cat?" Jack said, dropping his gun and unconsciously clicking the safety back on, trying to see over his shoulder and somehow through his shirt to said cluster of freckles.

"A wee kitten." Purple Ianto said.

"With whiskers." Red Ianto added.

"Those are my favorite part."

"Is it redundant to say 'mine too'?"

Purple Ianto grinned. "Well… it must be then."

Jack shrugged. "Any proof that I can actually attest to?"

"When you're bottoming you always say--"

"The future you is a little too cheeky for my liking, Ianto." Jack said, looking disbelievingly at the Ianto still kneeling. The one standing shrugged and offered a hand up to the one in the purple shirt.

"If all's to be believed, you like me just fine in the future, sir." Jack shook his head, holstering his weapon. Gwen and Tosh followed suit, and Owen frowned about it but eventually his firearm was put back in its rightful place.

"So, aside from filling my head with scores of new fantasies, what exactly are you doing here? And breaking the first rule of traveling back in time while you're at it!"

"To be fair, I really had no idea I was about to travel back in time." The older Ianto stuffed his hands in his pockets at the exact same moment the younger Ianto did.

"A rift accident? Do you fall through?"

"Jack, Torchwood protocol in Section--"

"Christ, do I actually care about the rules in the future?"

Older Ianto laughed softly. "No, same old Jack."

"That's comforting."

"Well, don't say I didn't protest but since you insist. We get an artifact out of an excavation on July 18th, 2015. I was staying late, recording its properties. Apparently touching the left, forward corner of it while sipping tea brings you back six years, ten months in time to the exact spot."

"Strange reaction." Red Ianto said, frowning.

"Indeed." Purple Ianto responded. "I wasn't aware that it would bring me into direct contact with my past self, thereby breaking the illustrious first rule."

Red Ianto shook his head. "Excuses, excuses."

"I know. I'm a terrible mischief maker and this was the only way I could think to possibly unravel time and space." Purple Ianto responded dryly.

"You don't think this is a bit… weird?" Gwen asked, frowning and looking put off by the Iantos' easily repartee.

"It's a bit like talking something over with yourself inside your head."

"Yes, only out loud."

"Quite."

Jack looked the Iantos up and down, smiling broadly. "Alright… Owen, can you go down to the archives and dig out the lie detector? Tosh, have a look at the rift's activity and see if there's anything to worry about."

"Like more of us falling back through the rift?" Tosh asked, looking concerned.

"Impossible." Purple Ianto said pensively.

"Well if the box is still there--"

"But by definition, it isn't." Red Ianto said, now frowning at his future self. "By me coming back and us talking, we've changed the future."

"Bloody hell, I should've stayed hammered." Owen groused, grabbing a pile of folders and storming off in the direction of the archives.

"We still have the option of a time loop." The future Ianto said, looking thoughtfully at Jack.

The Captain nodded. "It's tricky."

"But viable." Present Ianto said, nodding along. Jack raised a cautious eyebrow, worried not a little bit that two Iantos in the same room might spawn some crazy ideas.

"We'll see."

"Wait, wait, a time loop? What's that?" Gwen said, leaning against Tosh's desk.

"If we send Ianto back to his rightful time, and relatively the same place, and then we do what he's told us to do, find that box when we originally found it and let Ianto stay late to come back here, then when we send him back it'll be as if he'd never left. He'd be making a giant loop in the timeline." Jack explained.

Gwen frowned and sat down in Owen's chair. "Isn't that a bit risky?"

"Well, yeah." Jack said, grinning. "Apparently, we're risk takers here, though. It's our only option." Both Iantos nodded at the same time.

"He's right."

"Jack's right."

They said softly, in the same deep lilting welsh tones. Jack closed his eyes and smirked in away that spoke of deeply naughty thoughts. "Can you two just talk? I'll keep you both if you just keep talking…"

The Iantos cast sideways glances at each other and stayed pointedly silent.

"No, then?"

They nodded.

The sound of quick footsteps echoed through the hub and moments later Owen came jogging up from the archives with the silver lie detector in his hand. He tossed it to Jack who caught it expertly and nodded in the direction of future Ianto. "Alright, one last test. My office, let's go."

The older Ianto nodded understandingly and turned to go in the direction of the Captain's office. Present day Ianto hovered in indecision by Tosh's desk. Jack walked nearly half way to his office before turning around and raising an eyebrow at him.

"Is there a reason you're just standing there?" He said with a grin.

Ianto sighed and gave him an irritated look. "Is it entirely wise for me to be in that room, sir?"

Jack shrugged. "It's not."

"But you want me there?"

"Why not?"

"I could accidentally glean information about my future and change the entire course of human events…"

Jack laughed and walked back towards him, grabbing his hand and squeezing it reassuringly. "Or you could not."

"We'll never know one way or the other before hand."

"It's more fun that way." Jack reasoned playfully. Ianto shook his head and let go of Jack's hand, walking over to the Captain's office. "Don't tell me you don't agree." Jack muttered in a strangely charming way.

Ianto smiled but said nothing as he crossed into the office and perched on the ledge of Jack's desk. Jack entered shortly after and began to set up the lie detector. The future Ianto, who had been playing idly with some of the gadgets about the room and smiling in a fond way, finally took his seat across the desk from Jack when he pronounced the lie detector ready. A thin green beam of light settled across the bridge of the other Ianto's nose and dead across his eyes. He blinked a few times but eventually adjusted. Jack sat back and laced his fingers together.

"What is your full name?"

The Ianto across from Jack sighed and rolled his eyes. "If I answer that it will almost certainly cause an anomaly."

Jack sat forward quickly. "Why?"

"I may or may not have changed my name in nearly seven years time."

"Changed your name? To what?" Jack said, looking angry.

The Ianto in red put a hand on Jack's shoulder. "What if… what if I… I get charged with criminal offense and have to change my name? Unlikely I know, but I can't know something like that, whatever it is. Just ask another question Jack."

Jack looked cautiously between the two Iantos. Future Ianto had a point. If present day Ianto found out ahead of time it ran the risk of him trying to stop it and completely unraveling the time-space continuum. But if the future Ianto was lying because he was not, in fact, the future Ianto… it was all very conducive to headaches.

But the light had remained green. It was true that saying his full name could cause an anomaly. Jack sighed. "Are you the future version of this Ianto from six years ten months in the future?"

The Ianto across the table nodded. "Yes." The light was still green.

"Where were you born?"

"Porthcawl, South East Wales." Still green.

"Name of your first pet?" The present Ianto asked.

"Bess. She was a stray tabby cat that wandered to the back door. Mum said that we could keep her."

"Your brother's name?"

The future Ianto grinned. "I don't have a brother. But I do have a baby sister. Jane. She'll be… well, I guess she'll only be 17 now."

"18, actually."

"Yes, sorry, her birthday's in March. The 13th."

The present Ianto nodded. The light was still green.

"He's almost certainly me, Jack."

"Almost, yes. Is there anything… anything that _just you_ would know?"

Ianto opened his mouth to speak but found there was nothing off the top of his head he could really ask. Or rather, nothing he could think of that wouldn't embarrass him for life. He snapped his mouth shut. Jack looked at him curiously.

"If I leave the room will it help?"

Ianto fidgeted, desperately wanting that condescending, pretentious look out of Jack's eyes. He sighed. Jack's eyes. He turned to his future counterpart.

"Why is blue my favorite color?" He asked shortly.

The future Ianto looked about as irritated as his seven years younger self did. He huffed a bit but answered. "It's the color of Jack's eyes." The light stayed green.

Jack smirked and raised his eyebrows once, clearly pleased. "Well, I think that's as close as we'll get to certainty. Now we have to figure out how to send you back."

Present Ianto nodded and slid off the desk. "Long day ahead of us then. I'll go make more coffee." Future Ianto grinned for reasons his younger self could not understand.

"Thank you." Jack said with a fond twinkle in his blue eyes. The Ianto in red left to busy himself with work and hopefully clear his head.

Jack stood, flicking off the lie detector and walking around the desk. He leaned back against the edge of it and stared down at the future Ianto thoughtfully.

"Can you stand up for a moment?"

The older version of his lover looked at him cautiously. "Jack…"

"Ooh, in the future you call me Jack at the office?"

"I have for years. It's so… so strange being back this far."

Jack nodded sympathetically. "A lot can happen in seven days at Torchwood, let alone seven years."

Ianto nodded. "I just… I know I can't say anything but it's damn hard not to."

Jack fiddled with his braces, an old nervous habit. "Can you please stand up for a minute, 'Yan?"

Ianto shrugged and stood, hands shoved deep into his pockets. Jack closed his eyes, nearly confirmed in his suspicions. He opened his eyes to gaze at Ianto and leaned forward to kiss him. Not a demanding kiss, very gentle. Meant to be comforting. Ianto leaned into it passionately, like Jack had never felt from Ianto before. The Welshman was always, always just the tiniest bit reserved. But that was gone. Jack inhaled sharply, completely overtaken by the intensity of this Ianto. Like sugar flavored fire scorching down his throat into his gut. His stomach flipped. So… right. Before he could really give his all to the kiss, Ianto pulled away, laughing.

"What?" Jack asked, smiling.

"Another strange thing… you don't kiss like my Jack. My Jack from the future. It's bizarre to go back to the way we used to kiss. When… nothing." He stopped himself hastily.

Jack reached out, lightening quick, and ripped Ianto's hand from his pocket. He stared at it confusedly. He'd been so sure. But then something caught his eye, a line on his ring finger, a band of skin all the way around the base of that finger, a few shades paler than the rest of the hand. He nodded, slipping his hand without comment into Ianto's pocket and pulling out the ring he knew would be hidden there. A silver wedding band.

Jack sighed and smiled despite himself. The idea of being married to Ianto… he'd never actually considered it. Figuring that when the time came, he would become typical Jack again, and flee when things just because too serious. When that feeling that Ianto made him feel had fizzled out, he had ultimately reasoned they would both move on. He hadn't really put the two of them down for lasting overly long.

Weddings weren't notoriously permanent on Earth as they were on some other worlds, true. But for Ianto… for precise, efficient, deeply passionate Ianto, Jack knew that it would have to be. Ianto would not settle for anything less than perfection, for something innately right. Ianto was not the type of man who ever settled.

This was not something Jack had made plans for. This was not something he had really even thought about. Ianto was lovely; sweet and clever. So clever. Sharp and sexy and sensationally good in bed. All great things that Jack adored about his lover. But 51st century men did not settle down. It had caused so much trauma in centuries past that by the year of Jack's birth, monogamy had long since fizzled out. He'd never actually encountered such a thing until he came to earth. And even then only from a distance, only from watching others. It was an ideal he'd grown up finding ludicrous, frankly ridiculous. He had really expected the mere word "marriage" to spark up that infamous wanderlust of his and force his feet right out the damn door.

But none of that. As he looked down at the wedding ring he knew would be placed on Ianto by his own hand sometime in the next seven years, he felt unutterably calm. Steady breathing, no itchy feet. Peace. That strange feeling, that tugging in his rib cage, that feeling he'd so desperately sought in the Doctor only to find he'd left it with Ianto… it seemed to be sealed up in that ring. Peace. Maybe that's what Ianto meant. A final reprieve from all his endless searching. A place to stand blissfully still and just be himself. He couldn't really imagine such a thing, but if that's what Ianto meant… if that strange, queer sensation in his gut whenever he touched him was really love, Jack couldn't find one reason strong enough to ever let him go.

"I hope that me in seven years time has a matching one of these…" he said, knowing the answer already, but wanting confirmation, regardless of what it might mean to the timeline.

Ianto sighed. "Look on the inside of the ring, oh my observant Captain."

Jack laughed and tilted the ring so that he could see the inside surface of it. Loopy script had been inscribed all the way around it. _Jack and Ianto-__Yn __Oes __Oesoedd_.

Jack raised an eyebrow at Ianto. "What is your full name?" He asked softly.

Ianto sighed. "Ianto Cai Jones-Harkness."

"You change your name because we're…"

"Married. Yes."

Jack nodded, still trying to really absorb it. He peered closer at the ring. "What does it mean?"

"Typically a wedding band symbolizes…" he trailed off when Jack glared at him.

"The welsh, 'Yan, what does the welsh mean?"

Ianto took his wedding band back and slipped it into his pocket. "For ever and ever."

Jack exhaled harshly. "So we…"

"I won't answer anymore questions, Jack. Although I will take the time to do this." And Ianto punched him surprisingly hard in the arm.

Jack cried out. "Ow! Woah, what was that for?" He said petulantly, rubbing the abused part of his arm.

"Well you've clearly known this whole time I was going to say yes. No wonder you looked so bloody confident when you proposed!"

Jack started laughing and, out of no fault of his own, was completely compelled to kiss Ianto. He placed his hands delicately on Ianto's face and kissed him for all he was worth. Every bit of that strange, hungry feeling inside of him that might be love if Jack could ever figure out how to label it, he put into that kiss. With his body pressed in one long line to Ianto's, Jack shuddered from the feel of him. Ianto pulled back again, panting this time.

"A bit closer. More like my Jack." Ianto murmured delicately with an approving smirk.

"Do I do… other things differently in the future?"

Ianto sighed. "Not differently. You don't ever loose that… innovation you're so famous for, if that's what you're asking. But it is better."

"Is it bad now?" Jack looked worried.

Ianto laughed outright. "Does it sound like it's bad now?"

Jack considered. "Well, no. You always sound like you enjoy yourself."

"And I do. But things are just better with time."

"You don't talk like… well, you do… now. This is confusing."

"Agreed. But I understand. We talk more… in seven years we know each other better, we talk about everything and anything."

Jack felt himself blush a little bit. That certainly hadn't happened to him a few hundred years. "That sounds nice."

Ianto nodded simply. "It is."

"When do I--"

"No. I'm not telling you any details. Only that it's nice, because we… well, you let me be in love with you. I like being in love. Remember that."

Jack took a deep breathe in. Love. "Do I…"

"Love me back?"

"Yeah."

"Well, that's for you to decide, really."

"But you must…"

"Know for sure?"

"How do you keep doing that?"

"Finishing your sentences? Time. I will tell you one thing: it drives Owen completely round the bend when we really get the hang of it."

Jack chuckled. "You're different."

"So are you. Time."

Jack nodded and broke away. "Let's figure out a way to get you back there, then."

"Yes, please. Seeing you makes me miss my Jack."

Jack's jaw dropped open just a bit. "Ouch. Should I be insulted?"

Ianto grinned, and put his forehead against Jack's. He stared lustfully at him, biting his lip just a little bit. Jack lost his breathe for a moment. "On the contrary, sir. You should definitely take that as a compliment."

Jack grinned. "Noted."

They both chuckled and stepped away from each other, walking out into the Hub to find away to send Ianto back to the future.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I have never, ever, finished something this quickly in my whole life. I swear, Jack and Ianto stole me! sigh Not like I didn't love it but it's hard to function when two fictional character ahve control of your brain. Here it is, part three! Reviews are cherished and cuddled, please give them a home with me.

* * *

_**The More Things Change**_

The task of sending Ianto back had become a bit more complicated than anticipated. Because the device that Ianto had used to get back was not to be uncovered until roughly seven years had passed, the team had to start from scratch. All the relevant artifacts were pulled from the archives and the rift was monitored carefully for any swelling in time travel friendly energy.

For several hours, though, all that came up were blips hardly worthy of a second thought. The energy necessary to send him back was not comparatively much. Any of those blips would have done as a travel aid but there were several complications with utilizing them. Firstly, there was the fact that these hiccups in time energy didn't last nearly long enough to register on the monitor, let alone send out a team to where they were. Second, even if they could find a usable surge, they had no way to harness it and make sure Ianto went back to exactly where he was supposed to.

At present day Ianto's suggestion, Tosh broke out her newly finished rift prediction software and began entering data. This would solve problem one so that they could at least try and focus on problem two. At Jack's command, both Iantos were sent to the archives to search more thoroughly for devices Owen might have missed that might be of use.

The pair went down to the maze of information and began to work. As might be expected, they worked in very comfortable silence. They really didn't have much to discuss, after all. All of the things the present Ianto might be interested in were things that he was better off not knowing. Beyond that, they just had the past, and since they both had the exact same recollection of it, what was there to really say? They were the same bloody person. So comfortable silence was the answer.

They both combed through the files with calm, methodical efficiency that both were very glad to have shorten the workload considerably. The future Ianto chuckled.

"If I could have a second me with me in the archives all the time, I think I'd be much happier."

"Quite. Instead of Owen rooting around in here like some untrained ape."

"Indeed."

Comfortable silence reigned once more. Eventually, after turning up absolutely nothing, the future Ianto sighed and turned to look at the younger version of himself. "So… I should tell you I already know we're not going to find anything. Sorry."

The present day Ianto frowned and turned to face his older self. "What? How do you know?"

"Because this has already happened. This is not the instance that created the time loop, we're already deep within its rotations."

"Oh…" The younger Ianto said softly, falling back against the file cabinet's behind him.

"Yes."

"So… you… seven years ago for you, when you were me, an older you fell on you."

"Yes. And that's exactly what I said when I heard it from the older me… when I was you."

"This is all very complicated."

"Time travel is."

"I'm beginning to see that."

"And you will only see more as time goes on."

Younger Ianto nodded and tried to work it all out in his head. "So, I already know on 21st of July, 2015 that I'm going back?"

"Yes. You'll mark it in the diary tonight so that you don't forget."

"Well, yes I was going to anyway, but thanks for the confirmation."

The older Ianto smiled in understanding. "You're welcome."

"So… do you already know how to get back?"

"Yes." The older version of Ianto loosened his black and purple tie carefully, leaving the two ends hanging parallel to each other down his front. Carefully, he unbuttoned the collar of his dark purple shirt and dug around the base of his neck for what turned out to be a thin silver chain.

He pulled the chain out from under the shirt and revealed the small, flat circular pendant hanging on the end of it. Ianto leaned closer to observe. There were very intricate carvings on the charm; writing around the edge that reminded him of runes and a very beautiful design in the middle rather like a Celtic knot.

"What is it?"

"This is the device you find days before you come back to the past. Well, to be precise you find it in a box that you'll dig up. It… it's quite extraordinary. It doesn't work for everyone, just people it takes a liking to."

"Takes a liking to? It's sentient?"

"Almost. Tosh hasn't quite worked out where it comes from and it worries the hell out of Jack, getting all attached to you… us. But it's nice, it allows you to travel in time."

"This is hardly a nice situation."

"This isn't, no. But I've… decided to give it a try. It's only liked me for a few days, not as though I've experienced everything it has to offer. And I can't really take it off so…"

The younger Ianto looked horrified. "Do you mean it's _attached_?"

The older, apparently much more artifact friendly Ianto laughed a bit. "No, no, nothing like that. But only I can take it off. If someone else tries to, it's got quite a nasty electric shock in store for them. And when I take it off it's not really happy. I can feel that much from it. It likes having a home, I suppose."

The younger Ianto reached forward and touched the pendant softly. It hummed under his fingertip. "See? It likes you."

"I see. But here's a question: If we already have a time travel device, why are we looking for one in the archives?"

The older Ianto shrugged. "It's how it was done for me too. Mess around, reveal the pendant, it's what you'll have to do too when you're me, for fear of disrupting the timeline. But… don't worry about that now. Now, we get to lie."

"Oh, goody." The Ianto in red said dryly.

"Yes. We get to lie and say we've just found this in the archives and that we're going to use it to send me back."

"Oh… so really you were totally having us on before when you said you had no idea you were going to come into direct contact with your younger self."

"Yes."

"Right then. Will the pendant still be there when the team goes looking for it in six years ten months?"

"Of course. Right now, in this moment in time, and as long as I've been here actually, there are two pendants, just like there are two of me. One is here with me and the other is buried at the sight for you to find in seven years."

"My head hurts a little."

"Yes, mine did too."

Younger Ianto rolled his eyes. "Obviously."

"Yes, obviously."

"This conversation's becoming a little redundant."

"Very much so."

"So should I make up a false report for the pendant?"

"Don't bother, when we come up, there'll be information about a surge of energy in twenty minutes and we'll have to rush over to a warehouse in Gabalfa."

"This has been a very strange day."

"I remember. I promise you tomorrow will be better."

"Yeah?"

"Much better." The older man said, grinning and slipping the pendant over his head to have his younger self hold.

"I won't ask why."

"Neither did I. That's comforting in a way. But there is one more thing that I have told myself in former rotations that you should know."

"And that would be?"

"He gets better. Jack. He does learn." The younger Ianto sighed and rubbed his temples, reluctant to have this conversation. But he figured that if he couldn't at least talk with himself about Jack, he couldn't really talk with anyone.

"Really?"

"Infinitely better."

"Him and… and Gwen?"

The older Ianto laughed suddenly and raucously, buttoning his shirt back up. "God, that seems so long ago. When they were still strange around each other. No, no worries on that front at all! That's all resolved when… er, sorry, I can't say exactly. But it's fine, it all gets sorted out."

The younger Ianto looked stunned. His older self nodded and started doing up his tie. "I'm serious. Gwen gets married, she even… no I won't say that. But it's not a problem, trust me."

"Well I can't exactly not."

"That's a good thing, isn't it?"

The younger Ianto nodded slowly, a small smile playing out on his face. "Actually, it's sort of brilliant. I really don't need to worry about Jack choosing her…"

"Nope. They're very good friends of course. Like brother and sister. Gwen even makes you…" The older Ianto sighed. "Sorry to keep doing that but I keep forgetting what hasn't happened yet."

"Understandable."

"And you'll understand even more as time goes on."

"You're quite enjoying this cryptic mystery man bit, aren't you?"

"It's a lot of fun, you'll find. Usually we, that is you… us… I… me… we don't really get to play that bit. Always Jack or Owen, you know?"

"Yup."

"Well, it's a bit of fun, as a one off sort of deal. I'm glad I won't be doing it again… that I'm aware of."

Both Iantos laughed and the younger one fingered the pendant resting in his palm. It pulsed a little bit with some unknown alien energy that tickled him in a pleasant sort of way. It felt like smiling. It made him smile.

"See? It likes you." His older self said cheekily, straightening his tie into place. The younger man nodded and caught sight of the time by way of the watch on his wrist.

"Time for a charade?"

"Seems that way. It'll be difficult, but try not to be upset that they can't tell you're lying so blatantly. That gets better too, with time. They'll know you better."

"…Thank you."

"Perfectly welcome."

The pair smiled at each other and wandered back out of the maze of archives to complete a loop in time.

* * *

As foretold, the surge was waiting for them at a warehouse in Gabalfa. The future version of Ianto shook hands with himself, as had been done in many time loops before him, and kissed Jack very gently, which he remembered seeing done.

All very interesting, to be on the other side of it. Watching it come full circle. And of course, getting to skip every bloody mess in the next seven years and go back to his Jack. His Jack. Oh yes. And wallop him right good for being an arrogant sod who knew only too well what answer he would get when he popped the question.

There was a pinkish purple bubble of energy not far away and Ianto did his best to make it seem as though he was heading into it. The energy wasn't actually necessary for the pendant to work, he knew that. What he didn't know was what affect direct contact with the bubble might have. With one last glance back, he grasped the pendant and jumped for the energy but, as he had done to go into the past, Ianto merely clutched the pendant in his hand and thought of where he wanted to go.

In a blink, he was back in the Hub. The cup of tea he had set down just before taking off to the past was still steaming, Jack was still glancing nervously at him as he had been doing all day. No wonder!

"You complete arsehole!" Ianto shouted angrily.

Jack winced. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I couldn't have."

Gwen, Owen, Tosh, and their newest team member, Evangeline, all looked at the pair of them with caution.

"You said you'd been nervous! Nervous! You knew exactly what was going to happen! God, I can't believe you sometimes." Ianto said, marching over and punching Jack in the arm again.

"Ouch! I'm sorry 'Yan, but you know I couldn't tell you what I actually knew. That needed to be…" Jack sighed uncomfortably. "Well, would you have wanted me to spoil it by saying that you'd already told me we would get married? It's not like you told me how to ask or what to say or when or where. It was still… still me and you, right?"

Ianto huffed, still a bit miffed at being played so skillfully by his husband. "Right. Me and you, but you with the unfair advantage of knowing future events."

Jack sighed and reached out to take Ianto's hand. "Well rest assured, love, I have no idea what's going to happen next."

Ianto considered Jack for a very long moment before nodding shortly. "Fine… I… I'm sorry I shouted."

Jack laughed. "You're always sorry you've shouted after you have."

"Fair do."

Tosh giggled at them and smiled warmly at Ianto. "You're one to talk." She groused good naturedly. "You went back seven years and didn't even tell me Owen and I eventually got together! I remember that year, I was miserable with how often he was cruel to me."

Ianto shrugged. "Hey, I set you up with the Billy Idol and Madonna conversation piece. 80s music brought you together! So in effect, I brought you together."

"You still could have told me to stop being a prick." Owen muttered.

"Well, what's the use in that?" Gwen put in, struggling with the three year old, Uwain, squirming on her lap. "I tell you that everyday as is, do you listen? No."

"He could have pulled a whole Jacob Marley vibe, d'ya know? All mysterious and 'if you don't change your ways now… terrible things will happen' sort of tripe."

"God help us if you ever fall through time, Owen." Evangeline said, hunched over a pile of paperwork.

"Oi, teagirl, kindly quit your whinging and scurry to get me a cup of coffee." He said back to the newest member of the team. She flipped him the bird but went to go get his drink anyway.

Owen looked offended and huffed petulantly. "I miss the days when Ianto was getting our tea and coffee. So much more respect."

Jack laughed. "He still makes _my_ coffee." The captain replied haughtily.

"Unfair! You're shagging, of course he makes your coffee. Hell, I'd shag Ianto for one last decent cup of coffee."

"No." Tosh said flatly.

Everyone laughed in response, even Owen. The Doctor hid his smile in a smirk and shook his head. "Only kidding, love."

Tosh laughed. "Oh really? I thought you were serious." She went on sarcastically. "Never took you for a pillow biter but whatever floats your boat…"

The laughter continued at Owen's expense. "Oi, I would not be on bottom."

"Mmm, you don't know what you're missing." Jack said loudly, wrapping his arms around Ianto's waist from behind and resting his cheek against Ianto's. His husband let out a tired laugh.

"You've never understood propriety, have you?"

"Nope."

"Well you might do well to learn, Jack." Gwen said pointedly, covering her son's ears. "For god's sake, he'll end up fruitier than you are."

"Highly unlikely for that to ever happen to anyone." Ianto said, sharing a smile with her.

Jack pinched Ianto's waist in retribution. "Uwain would be lucky to turn out half so fruity as me."

"Fruity." Uwain said, giggling.

Gwen groaned. "It never ends!"

Owen and Evangeline snickered quite a bit while Tosh frowned at Jack. "Really Jack, you ought to learn to try and be a little more subdued around the baby, there's another on the way. Its first word should not be Weevil, like Uwain's."

Ianto laughed and went over to Gwen, holding out his arms to Uwain, who scrambled happily into his embrace. "Now, now, let's not be too harsh on my God Son. I'm sure he'll turn out fine."

"Well he'll have nothing on the next one, who's gonna be my God Son or Daughter, right Gwen?" Jack said, walking over to rub her five month along belly. Gwen slapped his hands away.

"No chance." She said, crossing her arms over her stomach. "You're never getting god parent privileges back, Jack."

"Why?" He said, pouting.

"You actually need to be told?" Tosh said incredulously.

"It wasn't that bad…" Jack said flippantly.

"You dropped Bleddyn through the bloody rift!" Gwen shouted harshly. "He was 11 months when he went in, he came back 11 years! Rhys would never forgive me for giving you to another son or daughter of his. Bledd is Tosh's now and for two years not a blessed thing's gone wrong for him. Next one out is Ianto's and god forbid there's another after that, they go to Tosh."

Tosh beamed at Gwen. Jack pouted and glanced forlornly at Uwain in Ianto's arms. "Ianto gets two, that's not even fair."

Gwen pinched Jack's leg, which was what happened to be within easy reach of her arm, roughly. "My kids are not a competition for you and the rest for the team to have."

Jack sighed. "I know that. I just want one."

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Don't hold your breathe."

Ianto laughed quietly to himself as he bounced Uwain on his hip. The young boy with Gwen's large, hopeful eyes and Rhys' sandy brown hair laughed delightedly. "It's not so bad, being Uncle Jack. They'll come to you for sex advice, that we know."

Everyone but Gwen found this very amusing. "Jack you are not to talk to my children about sex!" This sparked a debate that went on for quite some time.

Ianto tuned a large portion of it out and focused on making Uawin squeal with laughter. As he stared down at he small boy clinging to his suit jacket and smiling blissfully, Ianto thought about how different things were now. How sure he was. He hugged Uwain tightly as he realized how much things changed. Seven years.

He didn't know what lay ahead, there was no future version of himself to swoop down like a guardian angel. There would be thousands of alternate realities springing up from the exact moment of his arrival back. But he shook those thoughts away and stroked his god son's hair, soothing the boy into an early nap. Gwen would be grateful.

After seven years of a set reality, of knowing that if he just did his job and told no one what he knew, Jack would still love him, and Gwen would cease to be a point of worry, and that he would still work for Torchwood and know all these amazing friends of his. Now, none of that was certain anymore.

But something about that was exciting. Something about this whole new chapter of him and Jack. New and familiar at once. And he was sure, he was sure, that the next seven years would be more wonderful than the last.


End file.
